Northern Gundogs Braque Francais - CKC Reg.

06/08/2024

Some really great shots from last weekend's test. Bri and Red doing what they do. Thanks so much to our photographers!!

31/07/2024

I take great pride in our accomplishments this weekend. Although the natural ability test is somewhat just that but it is very much a whole lot of training as well. First and foremost you need a cooperative dogs. Both of our runs I damn near lost my dogs but hey, after a whistle and patience they came back. There are no excuses, no pandering to your dogs style, no exceptions are made because you have a 6 month old vs a 1 year old mature dog. Just judges that see your dog for face value. A snapshot of your dog and what they are made to do. It's up to you as the handler to highlight those attributes. For us, we lost a point on the track with Bri. I can make all the excuses but it matters not. She did what she did and that's it. I did everything in my power to help her and at the end of the day she did fantastic in my mind. Oddly enough i thought the wheels were coming off for him on the track but holy hell he tracked like a bloodhound.
Moral of the story for anyone planning to run NA, put in the work and it will show but they still have a mind of their own. 😉
In the meantime read Tips and Tales by George Decosta! You wont regret it.

29/07/2024

An exceptional weekend for the Northern Gundog pups. After a long weekend of volunteering for the test it was our turn yesterday to run our NA tests. We have been preparing for this since last fall for Red and all Spring for Bri. It was exhausting but I couldn't have asked for more from these pups.

Red absolutely killed it. Clean run on all accounts with 4s across the board for a top score of 112 and a prize 1!!

Bri had a little trouble on the track but other than that she did really well for a score of 102 and a prize 2.

I would not have expected to prize on both pups this weekend but we put in the time and I chalk up the lost point as an immature nose. Shes still only 7 months after all.

The judges were absolutely fantastic. The North Point team was fantastic. The whole event went off without a hitch and I'm excited to start building for hunting season.
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14/07/2024

The NGD pups had a really great mock test day today. We have a few things to tighten up before the test in 2 weeks but Red and Bri both did fantastic today.
Thanks to & for your help wrangling dogs for me.

09/06/2024

Fun training day! Bri and Red are looking good for field work. Now to shape up track and get Bri in the water.

02/06/2024

This handsome fellow turned 1 a couple days back.

The day he came into this world I'll never forget as I'm sure won't either. Racing back and forth to the city after endless complications only to be left alone in this world with no siblings, we're so Happy Tex is living his best life right here in Alberta riding around in combines and sleeping on pickup seats. What more can a dog ask for.

I look very much forward to seeing you this fall buddy!

23/05/2024

We love when bird dog people visit us! , Maddie and Romina made the drive to come and do bird work and hang out to chat all things bird dogs.
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16/05/2024

Stud.

16/05/2024

(Warning: braggy post 😅) I've wanted a male dog for a few years now since our old male beagle dog left us. They come with challenges for sure but their love of everything is unmatched. Red boy is everything I wanted in a dog...plus. In the true sense of the word versatile, he has more than anyone could ever want or need. We are fortunate to include him in our breeding program and we can't wait to see what he produces. We're very excited to see how he performs in the NA test this July. It's very hard to keep expectations low when watching him work.

If you asked me to build the perfect hunting dog I would likely start with the nose. Having had and hunted over beagles for over a decade their nose is my baseline. The energy behind the track, the switchback turns and backtracking is just exciting to watch. That is what I see in Red. Coupled with the drive of a seasoned lab and the athletics of a pointer, not to mention the love of water and natural retrieve, Red is exactly what we were looking for.

I can't wait to see him work sharpies and huns this fall!

16/05/2024

(Warning: braggy post 😅) I've wanted a male dog for a few years now since our old male beagle dog left us. They come with challenges for sure but their love of everything is unmatched. Red boy is everything I wanted in a dog...plus. In the true sense of the word versatile, he has more than anyone could ever want or need. We are fortunate to include him in our breeding program and we can't wait to see what he produces. We're very excited to see how he performs in the NA test this July. It's very hard to keep expectations low when watching him work.

If you asked me to build the perfect hunting dog I would likely start with the nose. Having had and hunted over beagles for over a decade their nose is my baseline. The energy behind the track, the switchback turns and backtracking is just exciting to watch. That is what I see in Red. Coupled with the drive of a seasoned lab and the athletics of a pointer, not to mention the love of water and natural retrieve, Red is exactly what we were looking for.

I can't wait to see him work sharpies and huns this fall!

10/04/2024

Awesome getting to see this girl hasn't lost her step after such a long hiatus. She only got out a handful of times last fall due to the "process" she went through to get preggers. I see why people say it takes 5 years to build a bird dog. Shes five now and really came into her own last fall. Excited to hit it hard this september with multiple dogs and the Matriarch to show them how it's done.
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10/04/2024

So many new things! "What the heck are you doing?"

Red went for a ride to pick up the kiddos. Shame on me for not exposing him more to city life but on the farm they can run all day without seeing a vehicle or people. The pups need exposure to city, walking on sidewalks, walking past folks, seeing kids and dogs running around. Finally we're out of the winter and he did very well for only his second time. We left the driveway totally stressed and came home sleeping on the back seat with the kids.

25/03/2024

First eggs of the year. Lets get outta here so momma birds can keep them warm and hopefully have some chicks in a few days.

16/03/2024

So great to see our resident grouse made it through the season.

14/03/2024

I sure miss this little bu**er but Im sure he's just loving the undivided attention at his new home.

07/03/2024

Sometimes we reach equilibrium.

29/02/2024

Folks, Megan still has pups available that are the same bloodline as ours. Jazz (Zoe's sister) X Nelly pups. If you didn't get one from us this time around you should reach out to her.

Welcome to Safron Kennels, the home of the Braque Francais type Pyrenees.

10/02/2024

Is there a better way to start the morning? Coffee, bagel and two little Braquelates chilling in your lap. Not going to lie, we're soaking this all in because one of these littles go home in less than two weeks.
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31/01/2024

What better way to start the day then with puppy cuddles before heading to school!

16/01/2024

Textures. Adding different textures to our whelping pen allows for those pups that are a little behind on their walking to get a grip and exposes them to real world textures so they're not taken off guard when walking through unfamiliar territory.

04/01/2024

Nelly X Jazz (Zoe's Sister) littler Alert! If there was anyone looking for a pup from our bloodlines Zoe's sister and Nelly just had a litter. Reach out to me or check out Megan's blog.

Welcome to Safron Kennels, the home of the Braque Francais type Pyrenees.

02/01/2024

This past 12 months has been somewhat stressful. This year has gifted us with two beautiful male pups that we cannot wait to see what they do in the field. It also had its challenges with a singleton puppy in the spring, a gorgeous male puppy I should add, and we end the year with these two little treasures. A long and expensive process which yielded only two puppies, but the silver lining is we finally, after three breedings, got our successor for Zoe. Our goal is to continue the Nelly/Zoe bloodline and we have our girl to do that. It's still a long road ahead and we maintain we're not in this for the money. We're doing this to put these amazing dogs into the hands of amazing people. So cheers to 2023 as it was a roller coaster and we say "bring it on" to 2024. It can only go up from here.
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30/12/2023

Two of the bestest boys. Uthred of Duffield (Red) and Great Lakes Gundogs Umberto (Bert). We have a lot of work ahead of us building these two up but we'll get there. It really helps when you start with the best of the breed.

25/12/2023

Did the best we could. 😆 Merry Christmas from Northern Gundogs!!

16/12/2023

I just realized I have not posted enough about this boy we sent to Wisconsin. What an absolute stud. I have to hand it to his owner for putting him on more birds than a lot of dogs see in a lifetime. Gauge is living his best life and I'm so glad we placed him with this family. Blue was one of my favorites and I can see why.
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03/12/2023

A turning point for the pups this week. It was like a light switch with Red. He, all of a sudden started to settle in the evenings, albeit for short periods, but we take the wins where we can get them. They're learning our ways.
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16/11/2023

Very interesting article on the potential down side of neutering too early or at all.

11/11/2023

Such a rewarding experience taking in another Braque from another breeder and getting the opportunity to take this blank slate and build a bird dog out of him. Of course there's only so much one can do in three weeks but we started him off on the right foot and his owner sure seemed happy with him. We topped it off with taking his owner and owner's son out to hunt yesterday morning. Although we didn't get any birds he got to see the cooperation and obedience I've instilled in him while hunting.
Good boy Baxter!!
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06/11/2023

With the season nearing its end and potentially what is the end of my season, I thought it was time to freshen up the ol uplanders. Normally I use black bear fat but since I didn't take a bear this year, 4 way will do for now. I can't believe the difference! Like a new pair of boots. Next year, new soles!
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15/10/2023

We had a pretty amazing week with Romina and Trek chasing birds just about everyday. We ate some good food, drank some fine scotch, and ran dogs and talked dogs all week. We watched the lightbulb come on in Trek which makes us very proud to have bred that handsome pup.